Harvard To Confer Degrees

University slated to graduate 6,409 under possibly rainy skies

University President Lawrence H. Summers will award a total of 6,409 degrees and 361 certificates to Harvard College and graduate school students in today’s 351st Commencement Exercises.

Despite a tradition of sunny weather on Commencement, the National Weather Service has forecast a 70 percent chance of showers until early this afternoon.

Around 32,000 degree candidates, family members, faculty, alumni, and guests are expected to attend the ceremonies, where former professor in the Kennedy School of Government and Professor of Government Daniel Patrick Moynihan will deliver the keynote address.

Moynihan, who retired from four terms in the U.S. Senate last year, has been a respected voice in the American government since 1954 (please see related story, this page).

Harvard College will grant a total of 1,569 degrees in the Yard’s Tercentenary Theatre.

While 1,560 of these are bachelor of arts (A.B.) degrees, nine are bachelor of science (S.B.), according to data released yesterday by the Harvard News Offices. The graduating students include 836 men and 732 women.

Seventy-five of the candidates earned their diplomas summa cum laude in their concentration, 56 magna cum laude with highest honors and 484 magna cum laude in their field of concentration. Three hundred and seventy eight earned cum laude in general studies, 426 earned cum laude in their field of concentration and 150, or just under just under 10 percent of the Class, received non-honors degrees.

Following morning exercises, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will award degrees to a total of 786 candidates in Sanders Theater.

Harvard Medical School will bestow Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees upon 154 graduates, and Master in Medical Sciences (M.M.Sc.) degrees upon 13 graduates.

The School of Public Health will confer a total of 336 degrees, including 190 Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees, 124 Master of Science (M.S.) degrees, two Master of Occupational Health (M.O.H.) degrees, three Doctor of Public Health (D.P.H.) degrees and 17 Doctor of Science (D.S.) degrees.

In Radcliffe Yard, the Graduate School of Education will award 767 degrees, including 686 Master of Education (Ed.M.) degrees, 78 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees and three certificates of advanced study.

Nine hundred eleven candidates at the Graduate School of Business Administration will be awarded Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees and five will be awarded Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) degrees.

At the Kennedy School of Government’s JFK Memorial Park, a total of 513 degrees will be conferred, including 294 Master in Public Administration (M.P.A.) degrees, 57 M.P.A. with concentration in International Development degrees, 157 Master in Public Policy (M.P.P.) degrees, and five Master in Public Policy and Urban Planning (M.P.P./U.P.) degrees.

Of the 689 degrees conferred by the Law School at Holmes Field, 135 will be Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degrees, 546 Doctor of Law (J.D.) degrees, and eight Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D) degrees.